5 WWE Superstars Who Have Been AWOL and the Ways to Use Them

WWE has many different levels of Superstars. There are the top guys who get featured every single week. There are the mid-level guys who are used on a nearly weekly basis. There are the guys who show up one or twice a month to job to another Superstar. And then there are the guy who you just don't see.

Some of the Superstars on this list were put on the shelf by an injury but are ready to return and have not been used, and some of the Superstars on this list are just never used period.

WWE pays these people not to work, and while that kind of gig would appeal to a lot of people, that is not what a WWE Superstar wants.

They became wrestlers so they could wrestle, not so they could sit on the bench at a wrestling show.

This slideshow will look at five WWE Superstars who haven't been heard from in awhile and a few possible ways to use them in today's WWE.

Mason Ryan

Mason Ryan was brought into WWE as CM Punk's hand-picked enforcer for Nexus, but we haven't heard a peep from him since.

Ryan is a bodybuilder-type who might be valuable in some capacity. He could be used as a bodyguard for someone smaller, he could be used as one of Triple H's enforcers or he could be put into a tag team with another struggling Superstar.

Ryan was pretty green when he first showed up, but a lot of time has passed and he may have improved. The only way we will know is if WWE gives him a shot.

Mason Ryan has a very marketable look. That alone should get his foot in the door with younger fans.

Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett has been pushed and de-pushed as much as any Superstar I can think of. He has been in WWE and world title matches, and he has jobbed to several mid-card Superstars.

There is no telling if Barrett will ever reach main event status, but WWE should not have this much trouble finding a way to use someone who is as talented as Barrett.

His mic skills are good enough and his wrestling ability is above average, but for one reason or another he has never really broken through.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but maybe the best decision would be to pair him up with someone for a new tag team.

Mason Ryan and Barrett could make a great heel team who use their European upbringings to garner heat by claiming to be superior to Americans. There are plenty of ways to use Barrett, so hopefully something happens for him before he gets "Future Endeavored."